These are my thoughts on Leadership and specifically about Demi-Pharaoh as they stand today. It could be that these opinions will change over time, as I continue learn more about Egypt and the people that live there. As happened this Tale, changes to the role of the Demi Pharaoh in the game will change my opinions on and goals for DP as a Test. However, I hope the ideals of leadership and responsibility that I bring to this and other tests will never change.
"The objective of A Tale in the Desert is to build the ideal civilization..."
"I challenge you to demonstrate Egypt's unity and its perfection..." --The Stranger
What have you done today to make it "Perfect"? -- dnloreto
The above statements (and question) illustrate the ideals behind all the other goals and tests in Egypt. I was attracted to this game in part because the aspiration to build a unified, ideal society seemed like a worthy goal to pursue, well beyond the scrabbling for personal gain that marks most other such games. In my mind, Leadership is the Discipline for those who want to help advance Egypt towards these goals.
I passed the Principle of Demi-Pharaoh on 23-Aug-2007. It was a round where only two people chatted or voted, including myself.
Given the recent law implemented in Egypt to expand the Demi Pharaoh powers, it is likely that the role of the Demi Pharaoh could now change a great deal. The ban used to be an all or nothing proposal, which generated a very strong opinion against ever using it. This, in effect, prevented the DP's from using the powers that they had, and made their role rather weak and informal. The limited bans (1 week, 1 month, etc.) just approved by the voters of Egypt will allow a flexibility that make it much more likely that the Demi Pharoahs will begin to use their powers in the game.
The Ballot gave Egypt a Legislative system. In effect, these new powers will truly allow the DPs to act as a Judicial system. It gives them the full roles of judge, jury and executioner, which also means they must take on the tasks of mediators, police and detectives. I believe that this means we must be even more careful than before to select people who will take these responsibilities seriously.
The Ban is the only true power or role the DP has that is different from the rest of the populace of Egypt. Some people feel that it should never be used, but I believe, if used responsibly, it is a tool that has an appropriate role. It is best if other means of resolving a situation are explored first, and it is valuable for the DPs to consult each other on the best resolutions for issues that effect all of Egypt. However, given that DPs are currently elected individually based on their own character and strengths, it is not unreasonable for them to act quickly and independently if the situation warrants it.
So, what people usually want to know is what is considered an offense worthy of a ban. Given full disclaimers regarding full investigations being required and every situation being different, here is my list:
Vandalism against public buildings was possible even prior to the recent invention of explosives. Critical public infrastructure that must be protected includes Universities, Schools, and Chariot Stops. Other important structures include Expedition Sites, Pyrotechnics Stadiums, Museums, Public Pubs and Public Workshops.
Instances of vandalism include pretty much anything involving explosives, and any other act that causes damage to a public building, or makes it unusable. Malicious behavior can also include dumping or wasting of resources out of kitchens or tasting tables, ruining or taking glass wear from such buildings, etc. Some protection laws have been passed with regard to specific workshop buildings, such as chemistry labs and glazier benches, but these have not included all possible items at risk.
It would seem that in our virtual community it would not be possible to use violence to harm another person. However, someone described to me a situation in a previous Tale where a person used emotes in a chat channel to attack another person, and describe violent harm to them. Since, in addition to the physical hurt, a great deal of the harm of violent crime is emotional and psychological, and often the intent of the violence is to terrorize and exert power over the victim, I see acts of this severity as being equivalent to an actual assault. I was told that this previous situation led to a ban. I find that a perfectly appropriate reaction to such an assault.
I will avoid voting for myself. It does not fit my picture of what a leader should be to selfishly vote to advance myself.
I will avoid voting for a Mule (an alternate character that exists mainly for the practical convenience of the main character of a player). I believe that a player who has a Mule should choose only one character to participate in Demi-Pharaoh. Players should never use a Mule to give themselves multiple votes in the same election, as this is an unfair practice unworthy of someone who wishes to display leadership. They should also pick a single character to attempt to gain the title of Demi-Pharaoh, because having two characters with that role unfairly gives them twice the power of the other DPs.
This is currently a very popular question for DP candidates, so:
I wanted an ancient Egyptian name that didn't already belong to someone famous. I know just enough about hieroglyphics to be dangerous, but almost nothing about the grammar, so this probably has some errors in it. I came up with the following, which works into a standard female name, but doesn't actually have anything to do with my real life name.
Ra = Sun / Sun God; Sha / Kha = To arise; N = Past tense marker; T = Female name marker
Ra-Sha-N-T = The sun has arisen = Dawn
By the way, my preferred nick-names are Shanti, Ras, and R